Dirigible headlight for motor vehicles



.1 .1927. e H. GOODMAN DIRIGIBLE HEADLIGHT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

Filed July 17. 1926 z. n m v 2 v PM; a .6. a I a F W 1 h .T M 3 mm 4 7 4 .r J n =5 &

FIG. '3.

A TTORNEYS.

' 1 1 632 02s 14 927 H. GOODMAN v DIRIGIBLE "EADLIGHT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed July 17 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet fl Z INVE AITOR.

A TTORNEYS. 1

Patented June 14, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFI'CE,

HARRY GOODMAN, or

DIRIGIBLE HEADLIGHT Application filed J'uly 17,

wheel and column.

Other objects, novel features, and details of construction, and invention will be apparent in the specification and claims, and illustrated in the accompanying two-sheet drawing, of which,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the device applied to an automobile; Figure 2 is a front elevation showing the lower part in perspective; Figure 3 is a section view of the centering apparatus and frame work connecting the two lights on the line of 3-3 of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view showing means in detail for clutching and unclutching the headlights; Figure 5 is a sectional view of the dash and handle control; Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line of 66 of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the light seat and the clutch control, and means for looking lights in central position; Figure 8 is a side elevation of the light seat and a part sectional view of the operating clutch assembly, and their housing; Figure 9 shows an alternate means for attaching and operating the lights.

Like characters denote like parts throughout the several views.

.lf obtain the objects of my invention by the mechanism described as follows:

The steering wheel. 1 operates steering column 2 and connects with arm 3 projecting laterally from said steering column 2 through frame 6 and connecting by ball and socket 4 on red 7 and ball and socket 8 with ball arm 5 on lower end of shaft 10; this is held in place relative to frame by bracket 9 and ad justa'ble lug, washer, and set screw 11. The lower clutch member housing 12, houses a portion of said shaft 10, which has a collar 30 there surrounding. This is held in lace on said shaft by pin 30; above this col er is a eeiinferessien coil spring 29 with its lewer BRITTON, OKLAHOMA.

FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

1926. Serial No. 123,180.

end resting on top of said lower clutch memb'er collar, its upper and supporting the housing of the lower clutch and a stationary collar 31* thereabov'e having two oppositely outwardly extending teats 31; on its upper side is a plurality of upwardly extending clutch teeth 13; said compression coil spring 29 surrounds the lower portion of said shaft 10 and the housing 12 surrounding the shaft is held in place by a key 62 upon which it is permitted to slide up and down. The upper clutch member 18 is hollow and surrounds the upper part of shaft 10. clutch member 18 turns in the housing on bearings 61 intermediate the recessed portion 18 and its housing 54:. The upper end 10 of shaft 10 is reduced in size from the point Said upper Where it enters the upper clutch member. In I the lower end'of said clutch member is a plurality of grooves 13 adapted to fit and to co-act with a plurality of clutch teeth 13. A light plate 22 is adapted to fit above the housing 54 and is fastened on the upper end of shaft 18 by threaded bolt 52, and by dowel-pin 52 fitting into a recess 52" m the lower side of said light plate and the recess 52 in the upper end of shaft 18. Integra'l with the housing of said upper clutch member is a small outstanding lug with pen foration 55 therein adapted to be fastened to angle iron 43 hereinafter mentioned. Also integral therewith are two outstanding parallel plates 56 adjustably held in position by set screw 57 andthere-between is a trigger guide 27. The automobile lights 17 are held in place-on light plate 22 by bolt 23 through perforation 49 and washers 47 and 48. These washers have oval shaped erforations to allow for adjusting the positions of the lights. The ligl1t-plate 22 situated on the drivers side of the vehicle in addition to said perforation 49, has a perforation therethrough 50 in an outstanding tongue 58; it also has a semicircularly formed slot 53 in one side near said tongue 58 with a locking slot 28 in the outer central portion of the same adapted to receive a hereinafter described trigger 26.

The clutch assembly is supported and fastened to fender 14 by bracketsupport lo and bolts-1.6. The brackets15 supporting the clutch assembly, shaft and the two lights are connected by angle iron 43 and bolts 60 passing through perforations 55 in outstand-= mg lugs! in are of and angle iron is .umn the turning; of the steering wheel riveted by rivet 72, a- U-shaped form 71 partially surrounding connccting rod 2&- and separating washers ietand 4-5.

Said connecting rod 2eloperates back of said angle iron 43 between outstanding members Ti, 71, through said tl-shapcd member, and is anchored at its bifurcated ends by bolts 51 through perforations to light plates 22. At the center of said connecting rod 2st and on the outside of said U-shaped member are washers l-i, l5. On the outside of each oi said washcrsand around said rod 24lis a compressioi'i spring 25, each connects at its outer end to said rod 2i, and each at its inner end abuts respectively against said washers a l and 45. in the center ot said connecting rod2-l and between said wa hers is an outstanding lu 24:. in front i i ing position of said lights said compression springs 25 press equally against Sdlt'l WHSl'l- 81's as and do; When the light shitting; apparatus is connected for operative movement with the clutching means and steering, colto the rightcauses the first light 17 on the drivers side of the car to turn to the right, and the clutching means connects with it and tongue 58 on the rear ot light plate 22 to be twisted towards the leit drawing connecting rod 24 in the same direction. This causes the opposite end of coi'inectin r rod 2% at its bifurcated ends to turn on bolt- 51 through hole 50 and to pull plate 22 at said second light 17 also to the left thereby turning said second light on its light plate to the right and on a line parallel to and in the direction in which said first light is faced.v In such process connecting rod 2 L being forced to the left draws on clam-ping means which t'alstens compression spring 25 to the connecting rod 24 and causes compression springr 2o to-be compressed between said clamping means and washer 1:5, and said washer is caused to abut against arms 71, 71, of the U shaped term; the lug 2 1- on connecting rod 24: is permitted to catch on washer 4:45 and draw it and compression spring- 25'with and along the line of the throw of said connecting rod 2t until such time as it is desired to reverse the movement oi the steering. wheel and the facing); of the ligl'lts. It will be observed in this movement compression spring 25 is not compressed between washer 414i and the clamping means fastening sameto connecting rod, but simply allows it to move along: the line with the moven'ient ot'said rod 24. lVhen the lights are then desired to be shifted in the oppo' site direction by the turning); of the steering wheel and the parts working in connection therewith the opposite process to the one just described is repeated. Upon each change of the light shifting apparatus from the dirin'ible feature of their use to the front- .tacing position of the lights, said two oomsay pression springs with their anchoring on said rod 24: and their respective washers h") and ist and the arms 71, 71, of said Ll-shaped tlorm and the lug 24. centrally located on said rod '24 work-to rc-estahlish the central forward fronting oi? the lights.

The pulling o-licontrol handle 4-2 causes shaft (34:, passing through dash-lamrd l: and dash bracket ll, to turn, and causes eye inits lower end connecting" with eye (fill in upper end of cable Mihouscd in housing 39, to turn,' thus turning said cable 44'. The handle shaft- 64- is provided with a key-way 66 in aportion of its periphery, and its housing has therein a cam 67: this is so arrane'iul as to come nearer one side 70 than the other side 69, and a floating lug ($8 is so arranged as to drop in saidkeyuvay in said shal t (ti-f and't-o permit its turning; as it is desired; to

shift the lights; but when it is desired that the lights face the front in a stationary position the pulling of handle 42 turns shaft 64 and causes the loose lug 68 to partially leave the key-way 66 and to pressagrainst the outer periphery of the am recess ('17 i and thereby lock the lights in a front la ingr position. v.

The pulling of knob 42 9mm cable 40, ad justably held in place by set screw 38, through housing 39, which housing is held in place by clamp 40 to bracket 83; it then acts on arm or link 34, which is pivoted at linkpivot 36 also attached to bracket- 33'. of said cable causes link pin J-J at'the upper endto pull on the upper arm 35 of the dash control apparatus and at the lower end 85 thereof to push on the lower end of the arm 2]. connecting the clutch-trip rod 20. Said rod 20 is anchored by two brackets 19 to angle iron 43. Beyond the second anclmring 19 it is bent in the form ot" a crank handle, the outer portion bc inn. :ulapted to fit into a groove 32 in the lower portion of the locking trigger 26. Said locking trigger 26 has an upstanding arm; the trout edge of its upper portion is thinned or bevelled, and its central front edge is recessed forming; a guide-way be tween bevcls 2 and 26' Its n'ioveinent in and out of locking slot 28 is controlled by trig z'ger guide 27 slitting between double out standing cleats 56. A send-circular arm at its bas integral with said tripccr 26 has two oppositely situated pertin'ations 55) in the ends of said arm, adapted to fit on teats 3i oppositely situated on clutch release col lar 31. When trigger is raised and in its normal position as shown in Figure l (not by the dotted-in portion) the ligl'its are in a movably operative position with the steering wheel, and turn with the changing positions ot'the steering wheel, and the upper clutch member 18 at. 13 and lower clutch inei'i'iher 12 and 13 are connected. lVhen it is desired to have said lights immovable is usually The pull ing the case for day time use) the pulling of knob 42 operating the dash-board control causes said trigger 26 to be lowered. as shown in Fig. 41- (dotted-in portion) and Fig.- 8. This releases the lower clutch at clutch teeth 13 from their companion OPCIllDgS 13 of the upper clutch member and thrusts the upper end of trigger 2b locking slot 28. This permits steering gear and wheel to be used as desired without moving the lights. To make this more secure the knob 42 may be turned to the right or left locking the wire or cable 46 and not permitting further connection between said F clutch teeth 13 and their companion openings l3 until voluntarily unlocked, and the wire or cable at to he slipped into place connecting 13 and 13 and releasing trigger 26 from trigger slot 28.

It is understood that in addition to the means of connecting light plates 17 and rod 2 f by tongue 58 and bolt 51 and bifurcated ends of said rod, other means may be used such as ball and socket as is shown in Fig. 9.

From the description and the accompanying two-page drawing, and the specification, the advantages of construction, application and manufacture will be apparent to those familiar with the art to which my invention pertains. I have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of.

my invention in order to impart a full, clear and exact understanding of the said embodiment. I do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to the specific construction and relative arrangement of parts inasmuch as in the future practice of the invention various changes and modifications may be made such as fall within the scope of my invention as defined in my appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:-

1. In a device of the character described, a headlight supporting shaft, a headlight and extension rod all in connection with a light-plate; a second light-plate, headlight and shaft; said extension rod connecting said lightplates and movable therewith; clutch means to connect said shafts for revoluble movements in unison, and to disconnect the same; means for simultaneously moving said headlights; bracket means and angle iron adapted to anchor said device to the fenders ofa motor vehicle; two compression coil. springs surrounding said extension rod in the center and co-acting with clamps, washers and holding means to autoxnatically force said headlights to a front facing position when disconnected from the moving means for said headlights; means connecting said shafts and clutching. means between cleats 56 amlinto with the stearing mechanism and frame of a motor vehicle. l e

2. In a device of the character described, con'iprising a pair of headlight supporting shafts, an extension rod for one of said shafts alined therewith and revoluble with respect thereto; means to connect a pair of shafts for movcment'in unison; a clutch member fixed on said extension a second clutch mem ber onone of said shafts and co-operating with the first clutch member; means for operatively connecting said shafts and clutching means with the steering mechanism and frame of a motor vehicle; means for simultaneously moving said headlights in unison on clutching said clutching means;

means securely anchoring said headlights and device to the fenders of a motor vehicle; means for movably and revolubly positioning said headlights and device; spring means adapted to automatically forwardly position said headlights upon the releasing of clutching means; all substantially as described.

3. The combination with a steering mechanism, dashboard, headlights, frame, and front fenders of a motor vehicle, of a device of the'character described, comprising two vertical shafts, a light-plate, a second lightplate, and means adapted to adjustably connect said headlights to said light-plates; clutch'means on one of said shafts; means for operatively connecting the lower shaft with said steering mechanism and the frame of the vehicle; locking means for locking said clutch means in inoperative position; a connecting rod and brackets securely fastening said device to the fenders; means connecting said light-plates and revolubly simultaneously turning said headlights on said light-plates in unison and in parallel lines; two compression coil springs surrounding .said extension rod in the center and co-acting with clamps, washers and holding means to automatically force said headlights to a front facing position when disconnected from the movino means of said headlights;

all substantially as described.

4. In a device of the character described, comprising, means connecting the stearing mechanism of a motor vehicle with the lower shaft and clutch of a double shaft and donble clutch men'iber, adapted to operat-ively rewilve the same; a collar, con'lnression spring and housing surrounding the lower portion of said lower shaft; a collar with a headlight, and to connect with'a movable connecting rod having bifurcated ends; said plate having a semi-circularly formed slot therein adapted to receive'an upstanding movable trigger; and having a locking slot therein to receive said trigger for locking purposes; a second light-plate adapted to hold a second light and to be connected with same by said movable rod; two compression coil springs surrounding said connecting rod in the center and co-acting' "with clamps, washers and holdingmeans to automatically force said lights to a front t'acing'position when disconnected from the moving; means of said lights; a knob, an adjustable wire through the dashboard bracket, three arms, and a crank, co-acting with each other and with a two-armed clasp and trigger adapted to connect said clutch toothed collar and to operatively clutch and unclutch said clutching means; locking means on said knob and wire to 'operatively lock and unlock said clutching; means in an unclutched position; all substantially as described.

HARRY GOODMAN. 

